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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: calf · spring · season · firm · branch · capital · clip · bulb

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. capital — money
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — of the year
  6. branch — a division
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. clip — a video
  9. capital — a city
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. firm — steady
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. spring — a coil
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. firm — a company
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. clip — to cut
  19. spring — of water
  20. clip — for paper
  21. firm — decided
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — for light
  24. season — in sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com